it's a colourful world out there!

Venice has been the least planned part of our trip...partly as I had peaked by Florence in terms of my pre planning and partly because I knew that we could just wander Venice and be happy... So this morning we all decided that we needed a swim and to go on the water buses and to see Venice from the sea - as it it meant to be seen.

By 11.30 we had made it out (work once again needed dealing with) and we were on our way...with our 24 hour water bus passes and a vague idea of where we were going. They were definitely right, the Grand Canal of Venice certainly lets you see a side of the city that you can't see by walking. Magnificent palaces and merchant buildings, grand hotels and of course the workers of the place making sure everything runs 'smoothly' - fascinating.

To Burano Island we went - myself personally amazed at the similarities between the harbour of Auckland and that of Venice - with the similar colour water, sky and light although without the dominance of the the hulking Rangitoto volcano! It was a joy to be back at sea...you just feel it in your bones when you have grown up with it.

Burano is famous not only for its delicate lace making - which really is an incredible art if not an acquired taste but for its brightly coloured houses - think intense greens, blues, reds, pinks, oranges, yellows...I should imagine many a blipper would enjoyed a few hours wandering the place - it's a photo bonanza around every corner! Although walking it in the heat and bright light of the midday was not ideal for any reason! Still I captured our memories and one of my eldest daughter framed against the green.

Then we travelled on to Venice Lido - its beach. Not a place that I would naturally seek out - think scores of beach chairs and umbrellas and corresponding people, flat sea and jellyfish. But still it is the ocean and I love it! The kids rented a paddle boat thing with a slide and happily set out in it for a rental period of an hour - so Steve and I optimistically thought we might have a moment or two to relax and had just settled down at the beach bar with a cold drink when Sienna turned up - as she was beyond hungry, followed swiftly by Mia who had met her match with a jelly fish. Indus having brought both them in - gave up at this stage and so we watched the boys paddle and slide to their heart's content for another 30 minutes.

So we wandered along back to the ferry for our ride down the Grand Canal to where we were staying. With the sun setting it was spectacular, the light on the buildings, the glistening of the sea and the water action unfolding before us. As the Venice Film Festival had just started there was some serious glitz and glamour oozing out of the place and we saw a few canal side parties and water taxis speeding by with people who really look like they are groomed and maintained to a extraordinary level!

Then there were the star crossed lovers on their gondola rides, the boat drivers as they negotiated the heaving canal with seemingly nonchalance and the youngsters on private speedboats, (usually a young man with a suitably beautiful girl at his side) cruising at some knots the waterway on a night out. We were all entranced.

Sun kissed and salty we returned to our apartment, cooked up an eclectic mixture of leftovers and hit the sack - holidaying is tiring!!!